Table 1 Changes in the thawing loss, water holding capacity (WHC) and cooking loss of thawed lamb meat depending on various freezing temperatures and different storage periods

Storage temperature (°C)		Storage (mon)
		0	0.5	1	2	3	4	5
Drip loss (%)	–18	n.d.	2.67±0.11eA	3.22±0.16deA	3.70±0.36dA	4.35±0.54cA	5.83±0.32bA	9.35±0.25aA
	–50	n.d.	2.28±0.11dB	2.56±0.30dB	3.47±0.24cA	3.38±0.14cB	4.23±0.23bB	6.35±0.39aB
	–60	n.d.	1.96±0.09eC	2.45±0.23dB	2.82±0.13bC	2.89±0.22cB	3.84±0.14bB	4.52±0.17aC
	–80	n.d.	1.68±0.12dD	1.87±0.13cdC	2.14±0.14bcC	2.02±0.14bcC	2.33±0.23bC	2.66±0.24aD
WHC (%)	–18	87.01±4.27aA	75.89±5.11bBC	73.10±2.15bcA	72.23±3.03bcB	70.03±3.03bcB	68.41±2.91dC	68.04±0.90dC
	–50	87.01±4.27aA	77.70±1.87bC	76.36±6.59bA	77.92±3.65bA	75.75±2.69bA	74.45±1.35bB	73.51±0.98bB
	–60	87.01±4.27aA	80.53±2.67bAB	78.30±3.77bA	79.92±0.44bA	77.03±1.69bA	76.30±0.73bAB	75.73±3.08bB
	–80	87.01±4.27aA	84.55±1.22abA	80.12±1.12bA	80.45±0.21bA	80.23±1.97bA	80.17±3.94bA	79.97±1.24bA
Cooking loss (%)	–18	43.24±0.76abcA	41.71±1.22cAB	41.59±0.90cA	42.55±0.70cA	44.69±0.77bcA	44.92±0.78aA	44.21±1.70aA
	–50	43.24±0.76aA	40.49±0.67bcB	41.99±1.19abA	41.32±1.19abAB	38.96±0.74cC	38.79±1.90cB	36.02±0.97dB
	–60	43.24±0.76aA	42.48±0.34abA	41.03±0.47cdA	41.81±0.47bcAB	40.18±0.74dBC	38.78±0.37eB	37.45±1.54eB
	–80	43.24±0.76aA	41.20±1.01abAB	40.81±1.07bA	40.71±1.07bB	41.27±0.96abB	40.13±1.56bB	36.44±1.36cB

^a–e Means with different letters within the same row (storage periods) are significantly different (p<0.05).
^A–D Means with different letters within the same column (temperature) are significantly different (p<0.05).
n.d., not determined;WHC, water-holding capacity.